September 1995
Larry Ellison calls the PC "a ridiculous device"
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison pitches network computers — thin clients that get software from servers — and dismisses overpowered desktop PCs.
Quote
“The personal computer is a ridiculous device.”
What it was for
Ellison's NC vision failed in the market as PCs got cheaper, but the quote captures 1990s thin-client thinking that resurfaced with Chromebooks and cloud desktops. He was wrong on timing, right that most users never needed a tower under the desk.
People
- Larry Ellison — ceo
Companies
- Oracle
Why it's here
Peak network-computer rhetoric against the Windows PCPersonal computer — a computer designed for individual use, especially desktop or laptop machines. mainstream.
Why it mattered
It framed the thin-client vs fat-client debate that never fully died.
What it solved
Enterprise ITInformation technology — the use of computers, networks, and software in organizations. wanted cheaper, manageable endpoints for casual users.
Media
ImageLarry EllisonOracle PR Hartmann Studios, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- Larry Ellison co-founds OracleJune 16, 1977